Liar, Liar
by plstommy
Summary: Every word that left her lips was a beautiful lie, curved and crafted by full lips and dark eyes. Every word that left her lips pulled him in closer and closer, until the whisper of her last lie was all that was between them.
1. Caldera

**LIAR, LIAR.**

She never belonged in Candor. Her infatuation with lies and getting away with them made her the epitome of what Candor was not, it made her what they refused to acknowledge.

**UNTRUTHFUL DISHONEST, DECEITFUL, FALSE.**

She was all of these things, but close to no one was aware. She could easily sell the shirt you were wearing right off of your back and have you believe that it had survived through the most interesting series of events. Lies fell from her lips as smoothly and clearly as rain slid against the glass building of of her kitchen window.

It wasn't that Caldera Hemelo didn't value honestly. She believed that honesty was a strong virtue, and it took a certain amount of guts for someone to allow themselves the vulnerability to completely bare all of their secrets. Caldera was honest when she held trust in those she was speaking with (_most_ of the time). But there was something about getting away with a lie in the most honest faction of all, that made her feel more ... _noteworthy_. Caldera never belonged to Candor, but neither did Synodic.

**DOUBLE, DOUBLE.**

Her other half, her flesh and blood, her brother, her fraternal twin. Named after a volcanic eruption in space, and a rotation of planets and stars, the twins were as open and mysterious as outer space itself. Caldera and her brother were two halves of a whole, and complimented each other like salt and pepper.

Sometimes very well.

Other times not at all.

Unlike herself, Caldera's brother was a terrible liar. He had tried when they were younger and a few times as a teen but her brothers face twitched and reddened with the stomach clenching churn that followed his lie. He had a tell, where his face flushed and he couldn't stop clasping his hands or touching his chin. He was a _horrible_ liar. But just because deceit didn't fall from his lips as smoothly as it did for Caldera, didn't mean that Synodic was destined to live his life under the Candor law.

Their father often recollected their childhood, having to pull the twins apart from scratching at each others faces or tugging at each others dark hair. He recalled their races from one room of the house to the other, and he often laughed at the times the two would compromise and devise plans with each other - often landing them both in the office of the head of Candor. (Oh how often they were scolded and injected with the, _oh so lovely_, truth serum to repent for their falsities).

Jared Hemelo knew, he knew that his old children would follow in the path of their mothers old faction, and Jared came to slowly recognize and come to terms that his children were not destined to lead and live the Candor way.

No, his children were meant for a much more enthralling and fast paced way of living. But, even if when they did leave him and his faction, he was glad to see that they would go together. Together they'd grow and become stronger.

**DAUNTLESS.**

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE  
**

This is going to be a set of _drabbles_ with my OC, Caldera. Her brother also plays a major role but the plot will follow mostly Eric x OC.

This story is set the year before Tris and the war, and will continue through the books. The ages will follow the movies, so Caldera and Synodic are 18 whilst Eric and Four are 24.

**Caldera**; a large volcanic crater, especially one formed by a major eruption leading to the collapse of the mouth of the volcano.

**Synodic**; elating to or involving the conjunction of stars, planets, or other celestial objects.

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Five

Black blazer, white shirt, black pants, black tie, black shoes.

Truth, seen like black is black and white is white. Nothing more, and nothing less.

**LIES.**

Lying was the most colorful about her life at this point. That, and the color of her brothers eyes. Syn, who had inherited their fathers crystal clear blue gaze, while she, as her father likes to say, has her mothers eyes. Well, she never met her mother considering she passed away during her childbirth, but she wasn't about to shake her fist at a dead woman's grave for being born with hrt dark brown iris'.

"Good luck, C."

Cal looks at her brother, who had just returned from the aptitude test, and frowns. His hands are balled into fists as he sits beside her again, and the color in his cheeks has gone away until he looked a sickly green. Caldera takes in a deep breath, her name is being called along with the name of another Candor girl she doesn't know very well. She stands, adjusts her blazer and loosens her lucky tie. She steps forward, walking at an even pace with the other Candor girl.

Caldera tries to count to five in her head to steady her nerves and excitement - at this point she can't tell which she feels more, all she knows is her heart is racing a mile an hour.

**ONE.**

She is met with the kind face of an Abnegation woman, the one to administer her test.

**TWO.**

Caldera stares at her reflection in the mirrors that line the room. The ceiling doesn't make her hair look any lighter as it curtains her face in pin straight strands that barely tickle her collar bones. Her hand crinkles along the side of her black pants as she bunches up the fabric in between her fingers.

**THREE.**

"It doesn't hurt," the Abnegation woman's voice is small and quiet, "You can go ahead and have a seat."

Caldera sits as the Abnegation woman instructed, the recline of the chair makes her heart climb into her throat and she slowly wipes her palms against her slacks. She clenches her jaw, grinding her teeth together as she takes a deep breath in through her nose.

**FOUR.**

Electrodes are placed around her face and Caldera tenses her jaw when a drink is offered to her. She is about to refuse, say she is not thirsty, but the look on the Abnegation woman's face suggests that it is part of the test. She must drink it.

So she does.

**FIVE.**

"Choose."

Caldera doesn't hesitate, she doesn't ask questions, she doesn't dwindle on her choice.

She grabs the knife.

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE  
**

Thank you to _Blueberry98_ &amp; _Savanah Rose_ for the reviews! They definitely inspire me to keep on writing.

Drabbles are short in the beginning but will eventually lengthen once the Dauntless.

**Thank you for reading!**


	3. Transfer

**CHOOSE.**

"No matter what," Jared squeezes both of his children. Caldera and Synodic incline their heads to listen to their fathers words. Candor's were honest, and if asked to repeat the words to his children, Jared Hemelo would. But, as they stood about to line up to choose their faction, he had only wanted his words to meet their ears, "Know that I am proud of you, and know that your mother would be as well."

Synodic's jaw clenches and Caldera blinks away what resolve she has left. Her father always seemed to know when she was lying, and the false smile on her face was of the boldest lies he's seen yet.

The twins whisper a last "love you" before their father retreats to his seat among a sea of black and white. The twins look at each other, jaws clenched and resolve slowly building itself back up. The two line up, nestled in between an amity boy and an Abnegation girl. The names are being read slowly, one after another, and Caldera knows she will come after her brother.

**HE WILL CHOOSE FIRST.**

"Synodic Hemelo."

His strides are long and he accepts the knife without looking into the eyes of the Candor council representative. In a single swift motion he slides the knife along his palm and shakes his hand above the burning coals.

It is no surprise to the crowd, Candor children tend to transfer to dauntless often, but Caldera can hear the whispers towards her father as her brother strides towards the cheering Dauntless. She clenches her jaw, it's the only thing she knows will stop the tears from pooling in her eyes. She's not afraid. She tells herself that she doesn't know fear.

**LIAR.**

"Caldera Hemelo."

Her steps are slower than her brothers, she's not questioning the choice she will make. Caldera knows that her choice is the only one she's ever felt right about, something she never differed from. She feels, that by taking slower steps, she is helping her father with the inevitable. She knows that Candor will believe him when he says that his children did not "defect", they simply found themselves. She knows, that Candor will believe him when he says that his children are good and where they belong. But, deep down, she knows that it is not the opinions of the other Candor that matter. She accepts the knife from Jack Kang (this years council representative just _had_ to be Candor, of course) and offers him a solid and stiff nod.

Her eyes don't flutter with nerves, her shaking has stopped but her palms pool with sweat and blood after she drags the knife across her skin.

**INHALE.**

She lifts her hand above the sizzling coals and lets the thick crimson drop. It bubbles, looking like a small pool of lava on the rock.

**EXHALE.**

Her chin is high as she makes her way towards the cheering Dauntless. Her brother sports a sheepish smile as a male shakes him back and forth with one hand, while the other reaches for Caldera excitedly.

_"Siblings!"_

Her brothers resolve is stronger than hers, and Caldera is the only one of the two who spares a glance at her father.

He is looking right at her and her brother, his eyes glossy with unshed tears.

But the ghost of a smile is etched on his lips, and Caldera can feel his emotions from the sea of dark clothing.

_**PROUD.**_

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Dauntless next chapter! Who do you think will jump first? Synodic or Caldera?

**Thank you for reading!**


	4. Jump

**JUMP.**

A grunt escapes her lips as she lands roughly on the hard cement rooftop, her brother lands ungracefully beside to her as he stumbles and slips - scraping his palms against the gravel. Caldera lets out a harsh breath of air, her heart is pumping against her ribcage so harshly she's sure it's going to leave a bruise on her skin.**_  
_**

"Holy shit."

Caldera laughs softly with her brother, who doesn't offer her a hand, but instead yanks her up by her (newly dirtied) blazer. She examines her palms and gingerly touches her face to see if she can feel any notable cuts.

"Listen up!"

Caldera removed her blazer, dropping it to the floor as she looks up towards the origin of the voice. Standing on the ledge is an older Dauntless member, beside him another.

"My name is Max. I am one of the leaders of your new Faction," he doesn't introduce the other male at his side, "Below us is the entrance to the Dauntless compound."

Caldera's mouth parts in surprise and she can see her brother's attention snap towards her, burning holes into the side of her head. Needless to say, she wasn't the biggest fan of heights, and if she was putting Max's words together correctly, she wasn't excited about their next test.

**_JUMP_.**

"If you can't muster the courage to jump off, you don't belong here in Dauntless," He pauses, looking around for dramatic effect, "You initiates have the privilege of going first."

"Is there - Is there anything at the bottom to stop our fall?" An amity girl asks, her eyes glancing from Max's, to the second unnamed leader, and then finally to the ledge.

"Why don't you find out?"

It's the first time the unnamed male speaks, and Caldera's eyes jump over to him. His eyes scan the crowd of initiates, all of whom have now quieted down. Their eyes meet for a fraction of a second, and for a moment she thinks that he will call her out, tell _her_ to be the first to jump.

But Synodic steps up, looking over his shoulder to give a small smile to his sister. Caldera takes a single step forward, so she can watch her brother stand on the ledge. She can already feel her throat constricting with nerves and she starts to feel dizzy just looking at her brother.

"Well," Synodic laughs nervously as he looks down the ledge, he turns back to the initiates and mock salutes them before letting himself fall back and off of the ledge.

Caldera's heart is pounding and she wills herself not to look in another direction.

Max lets out a an amused snort at her brothers antics before looking to the crowd of initiates.

"_Well_?"

She can feel a few eyes on her, and soon the few eyes of the initiates becomes the eyes of the two Dauntless leaders up front. She's expected to go next, after all her brother had the guts to go first.

But he only went first because it was what he did. Synodic always went first, as a reassurance to her that he would be there when she arrived.

Caldera tries to swallow spit but her mouth is dry and sticky. She takes a single step forward, and then another, until she finds herself looking at the ledge she has to stand on.

"Sometime today would be nice."

She's only heard his voice once before, but she's already familiar with the gravelly drawl of the unnamed leader. She looks at him through peripherals while clenching her fist. Caldera steps onto the ledge with a shaky breath and even squinting she can't make anything out of the dark, wide hole.

She takes in a deep breath and steps off the ledge. A scream doesn't rip through her throat like she assumed, and she's can't will herself to keep her eyes open for her own fall..

The breath she's holding is knocked out of her once she finally hits the bottom.

A net.

Her body stings from both the fall of the train and from the impact of the landing on the net and she takes a large gasp of air, filling her lungs as if she had been held underwater for an hour.

A hand reaches towards her and she grabs it, clutching both palm and wrist as she is yanked away from the net and onto her feet.

"Siblings?"

Caldera looks up at the voice, another Dauntless looking at her with a raised brow. Her brother stands behind him, a smug and prideful look crossing his features as she stands on her own.

"Twins," Synodic corrects.

A low whistle sounds from somewhere else, another Dauntless member who came to watch the initiates cry and yell, "What a way start to your year, huh, Four?"

Caldera wants to ask why the name Four, but bites her tongue against doing so, and instead nods at him as she adjusts her shirt, "Thank you."

"What's your name?" Four asks, only nodding to acknowledge her gratitude, "Choose wisely, you don't get to pick a name again."

Caldera nods and takes a deep breath before speaking her name.

**"CAL."**

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE**

**Thank you for reading!**


	5. First Fight

**TRAINING STARTS AT 8AM.**

**TRAINING ENDS AT 6PM.**

**FREE TIME AFTER 6.**

**CANNOT LEAVE COMPOUND WITHOUT DAUNTLESS COMPANY.**

The rules are simple as Eric explains them in a dull, uninterested tone. His eyes roam over the initiates, pausing to look a the pair of twins who had captured the interest of many.

There were 11 transfers this year, only 9 made it onto the train and only 8 jumped off.

8 transfer initiates.

But then, Eric, a Dauntless leader who will oversee their training, explains the next part.

**RANKINGS.**

Cal bites into her cheek and tenses her jaw as she listens.

8 transfers, 10 Dauntless-born.

Not all will make it into Dauntless.

Cal clenches her fists, lifting her chin as she builds up her resolve.

**I WILL NOT FAIL.**

She looks at her brother, who's looking ahead at Eric. His brow is creased at the center, but his jaw is tightened and she can see the flush of anger in his cheeks.

**WE WILL NOT FAIL.**

Sleep comes slowly, and soft sobs and cries are heard throughout the dormitory. It's no surprise to anyone that the initiation was tough, but how tough is what threw everyone for a loop. To be kicked out, to become factionless. Cal refused to see a future like that for her and her brother.

When she wakes, her brother quietly asks if she's alright.

She lies, he knows.

Everyone wakes up quickly, snapping their eyes open or shooting up in bed. Everyone is alert; aware.

And by the time they are in the training area, where Four meets them, everyone is tense. The lack of sleep and over abundance of nerves keeps everyone stiff.

The twins had never held any sort of firearm before, and it feels both foreign and heavy in their hands. Four speaks clearly and loudly, like a teacher, and Caldera strains her eyes and ears to pay attention to his every move. He is in Dauntless, meaning he passed his own initiation; she'll trust everything he says.

He demonstrates taking a shot, and Cal squints as she watches his frame and body rather than the bullet.

She copies him when it's the initiates turns. Gun in both hands, feet spread apart and she pulls the trigger. Her body jolts a little from the gun, but she breaths out a single laugh. The bullet hole does not hit the target, but it only sits a few inches to the right of it.

Cal looks to her right, looking at her brother as he fires his second round. His first bullet just skims the bottom of his target, while the second bullet makes it in the center.

**WE WILL NOT FAIL.**

"Next is fighting," Four paces around the large room. Punching bags are lined along the end of the room, and the initiates line up behind them.

"Today we will go over technique," Four settles himself in front of a bag, "And tomorrow you'll begin fighting each other."

Caldera studies him in the same manner she had earlier that morning. She watches how he breaths, how he turns and how he lands each different punch. Cal finds herself much better at this, though smaller than her brother she sees him wincing as he punches with his knuckles and Four stops to correct him on a few things before moving on.

"Follow through with your punch," He tells her, watching as the ex-Candor throws a solid punch into the bag. The power behind her punch is sufficient enough but would need improvement, and he can see her fingers painting themselves red with irritation. Cal nods at him and does as instructed, pulling her fist back and then twisting her body so she follows through with her punch. The old punching bag shakes in place and Four nods his head in approval.

**RAW.**

Her hands feel raw by the time Four dismisses them for dinner, and Cal can't help but sigh with content as she runs the ice cube from her water against her knuckles.

"You sure do know how to pack-a-punch," Tatum tilts his head towards Cal, a bread roll half stuffed in his mouth, "You're actually kinda scary."

Cal hums in response, and Syn picks up the conversation in her place.

"She's always been scary," Syn smiles crookedly, wiggling his eyebrows.

Though their time there has been short, the twins have developed a few relationships with other initiates. Relationships both good, and bad. Good, came from 3 transfers. A mousy faced, tall and lanky Amity girl named Sonny. A Candor transfer with a permanent grimace on his face named Tatum. And a silent Erudite boy with blond hair named Ben. The twins appreciated their company during their free time, and the three others found the two odd, but strangely endearing. Though they knew that the twins were competition, they found their child-like nature when it came to each other to be a relief from the stress.

But, despite these 'friends', they couldn't seem to gain the trust of the other initiates. One, and his group of lackeys, seemed to take a great disinterest in the two. An Erudite transfer by the name of Caine, had set out to sneer and shoulder bump the two every chance he got. Syn was more vocal about it, snapping and snarling like a wolf at the boy every chance he got. But Cal tried to be the calmer of the two, lying to even herself that it didn't bother her.

**FIRST FIGHT: SYN VS CAL**

"They probably won't even really fight each other!"

Cal cocks her hip, taking a deep breath as she crosses her arms. There is an even number of transfers, meaning that everyone will be able to fight today. Four and Eric are both present, no doubt ready to supervise these matches. She wasn't excited about the idea of going first, she would have liked to see how others fought before stepping onto the mat herself. But, as luck would have it, the instructors thought it would be nice to play a cruel game of setting the siblings against each other.

"First two fighters," Four begins, he sets his legs apart and crosses his arms, "Set up."

Syn elbows his sister softly, shooting her a signature smile before stepping up. She follows suit, a heavy sigh passing her lips.

"How do you know that they're gonna give it their all?"

The question comes from Caine, and he's looking at the siblings with obvious annoyance.

"Because they're being scored on this," Four doesn't look away from the twins as they get in their fighting stances.

"When is the fight over?" Sonny asks, glancing between the two siblings warily. Despite choosing Dauntless, Sonny was still quiet and scared.

"Shut up," Eric's voice breaks through the room like a crack of thunder. The room quiets, and the twins never move from their fighting stance, "What are you two waiting for? Fight."

**FIGHT.**

Syn moves first.

He's taller than his sister by a good couple of inches, and he's obviously a good ideals stronger than her. But casting this aside, the main problem is that the two are siblings, they know each other like the back of their own hands. They know each others strengths, and weaknesses.

Cal ducks under her brothers hands, grabbing his upper arm as she passes and pulling it behind him harshly. He grunts, but is quick to twist his body around, swinging his arm unceremoniously. He catches her on the mouth, and a couple times on the stomach. She holds on as along as she can, but a rough swing into the middle of her stomach causes her to wheeze and stumble back.

"_Asshole_."

Syn laughs and pushes forward again and Caldera thrusts her palm forward, the heel of her hand hitting her brother in the Adams apple. He stumbles, choking and coughing, allowing her to dig her below into his back.

**ONE.**

**TWO.**

**THREE.**

Four times she jabs him in his back and although he's coughing and spluttering for air, he reaches for her legs, wiping her feet from under her. Caldera's back slams against the mat and the air is completely pushed out of her lungs. She gasps for air, her arms moving up to clutch her chest. Her brother scrambles to hover over her, forearm pushing against her throat. She claws at his arm, pieces of his skin digging under her nails.

"Good."

The weight of her brother's arm is gone immediately after the word leaves Eric's mouth. His lips are pulled back in a smug grin as he looks between the siblings. Syn, who's arching his back and gritting his teeth together; and Cal who's choking for air, her forehead resting on the mat as droplets of blood fall from her mouth.

"Winner," Eric begins, "Syn."

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Thank you for StardustSpike &amp; Maya6996 for your reviews! I was beginning to think no one was taking interest in the story.

I have more Eric in story for the next chapter!

**Thank you for reading!**


	6. Scared

"You're fast."

The words startle her, and she brings up her fists as she swings around toward the voice. She was in the middle of punching a bag when Eric spoke to her, and all he does is raise a pierced brow when she turns.

"But there's no power behind your punches."

Caldera stays quiet, but a frown tugs at her lips. She resists the urge to flinch as Eric leans forward to grasp her shoulders. It's no secret that he and Four dislike each other, it's fairly obvious how the two two contrast. In her eyes, Caldera thought they were different kinds of Dauntless.

Four's kind.

And Eric's.

And, if she was honest she would admit that Eric's kind of Dauntless scared her.

**SCARED?**

"Okay," She begins slowly, her jaw and mouth hurt when she talks. A colorful bruise has already tattooed itself on her face, and her body aches all over from her fight with her brother yesterday, "So, how do I put power behind my punches?"

Eric moves her shoulders, his hands sliding down to show at her elbows as he helps her movements, "You follow through with your punches, but you follow through with them a little too much. You'll fall if you keep that up."

He lets go and walks away without another word. Caldera watches him, confusion tugging at her facial features.

When Four offered her advice he stayed, make sure she did it right. But Eric was quick to talk and quick to leave.

Cal straightens up from her fighting stance and makes her way over to watch her brother - who is on his second fight. He's against one of Caine's lackeys, another Erudite transfer. And, from the way that the boys face is already swelling, her brother was winning again.

She claps her hands a couple of times, watching as her brother lands one final punch on the Erudite boys face and he fell to the floor.

Her brother smiles over at Cal, wiping blood off of his lips and nose but only managing to smear the crimson all over the bottom half of his face, "You see that, C?"

Caldera shakes her head, a smile tugging at her lips. She tugs the sleeve of her long sleeve shirt and wipes her brothers face.  
"Disgusting,"Cal grimaces, pulling off the sweater and and shoving it onto her brothers chest. He laughs, using it to wipe the rest of the blood off of his face. "Both won our fights today."

This was true. Before Syn's fight, Cal was put up against Sonny. The taller girl put up a fight the best she could, but her fighting style was crazed and unconventional. And although Cal wasn't the best on offense, she was killer on defense. She was quick and fluid with her movements but had trouble, as Eric had stated, putting power behind her punch.

**WINNERS. **

* * *

"This is suppose to be your free time, initiate."

Cal keeps hitting the bag. His voice doesn't startle his this time, but she can hear him coming closer to her. The sound of his boots are heavy on the stone floor, and Cal tries to steady her breathing in accordance to each step.

"I know."

Eric leans against the wall closest to her and watches her form. He's noticed that she took his advice, and her punches are slowly building up more strength behind them. Unlike her brothers natural talent, Cal is walking on a straight line during initiation. Her brother, who excels at shooting and has won both of his fights is top of the class. While Caldera shooting is neither good nor bad, and her fighting is decent. She knows her strengths, ducking and defense. But those, along with her occasional knife hands and elbows, will only get her so far.

"Come here."

Eric moves away from the wall and walks towards one of the mats set up in the middle of the room. Her removes his black, leather jacket and cracks his neck.

Cal stops punching the tattered bag and uses the back of her hand to wipe sweat from her forehead. She looks at him oddly, a frown tugging at her lips once more.

"Well," He snaps, "I don't have all day."

Cal gulps and takes long strides towards the mat, she hesitates for a fraction of a moment before stepping onto it.

"Come at me."

Cal can feel the words _I can't_ settle on the tip of her tongue. The Candor in her wants to admit defeat before she even tries because she knows, without a doubt, she wouldn't be able to strike first. Disregarding the fact that Eric is a trained Dauntless leader, he has seen her fight and knows how she functions. And, because he's seen both of her fights, he knows that she doesn't strikes first.

"Come at me, initiate," Eric pushes out each syllable as he speaks.

Cal tries to wet her mouth, but it's dry with nerves. Eric sniffs, "What? Are you afraid?"

"No."

The lie leaves her lips so quickly and assertively that she's sure he'll believe it. Everyone always does.

But the smile that tugs at his lips isn't the kind of smile she recognizes, and the hairs on the back of her neck start to stand when he speaks again.

"Well," Eric lets out a single laugh, "Never met a Candor that can lie as well as you can."

**LIAR.**

The only people who have ever been able to see through her lies had been her family. Her brother and father always seemed to know when a lie fell from her lips. Whether it was through experience or because she had a tell, she didn't know. The only time truth spilled from her lips and she admitted her lies was when she was under punishment and was forced into taking the truth serum.

Eric was the first to ever break the cycle.

Or maybe it was a lucky guess?

A part of her wants to tell another lie, test him to see if he really could read her as well as he was playing at. But, another part of her didn't want to know if she could be read so easily.

"I don't strike first."

She opts for stating this, a simple fact about her fighting style will hopefully sway his opinion and maybe he'll charge at her first.

"You either want my help or not," Eric shrugs, "You either come at me first, or not at all."

She curses and balls her hands into fists before rushing at him as quickly as she can. She assumed he'd hit her as soon as she got close, but all he does is redirect her direction and send her face first into the mat by his feet. Her split lip opens up again, and the coppery taste of her blood touches her tongue.

"You can do better than that, initiate."

Cal pushes herself up and swings her leg around, trying to wipe his feet out from under him.

Again, he grabs her leg and sends her falling straight on her back.

Cal gulps for air as he rests on his haunches at her side, looking at her with a curious gaze. She takes the opportunity to swing her fist over her body, aiming for his face. He sees her and turns his head, causing her fist to skim his jaw rather than his cheek.

"You know," Eric begins, grabbing her by the throat. His fingers wrap around her neck and squeeze her jaw tightly, "Dauntless aren't suppose to be afraid."

"I'm not," She speaks through gritted teeth and heavy breaths, his hold on her throat isn't painful - just uncomfortable.

**LIAR.**

Eric tsks, "Another lie? You're not very good at them, kitten."

The nickname annoys her the second it leaves his mouth and she finds herself thrashing against his hold.

"There we go!" Eric laughs, catching Caldera's wrist as she aims for her throat. He twists her around, her back resting on his chest while her own forearm pushes against her neck. He leans into her, his breath caress her cheek as he talks softly into her ear, "You know, you and your twin brother are pretty different. He's loud, you're quiet. But you both have this glint in your eye that makes me think you really hate being made fun of."

"I don't care," Caldera fights, bringing the elbow of her free arm back and jabbing it into Eric's stomach. He releases her arm and she stumbles away, her hand flying to her aching shoulder. Eric doesn't speak for a moment, he watches her as she grimaces, running her tongue against her bottom lip to get rid of the blood that falls down her chin. Her hand grips her shoulder tightly and her breathing is heavy from both training and her temper.

"Tomorrow, same time."

"What?" The question comes out as both confused and annoyed, but Eric ignores this tone.

"Same time tomorrow," He picks up his jacket, "I'll show you how to get better."

Caldera doesn't say anything in response, and only gives Eric the smallest of nods as he starts walking out of the room.

"Maybe tomorrow I'll get the truth out of you, kitten."

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Thank you for Maya6996 &amp; StardustSpike for your reviews!

**Thank you for reading!**


	7. Last Fight

"I think Four may be trying to kill you, C."

Cal frowns at her brother, and Four (who only stands a few feet away) shoots Syn a disapproving look.

It's the final day of fighting and, although Cal was confident before she isn't sure how she feels now. Her lessons with Eric during her free time proved to improve her overall fighting. She felt stronger than before, and was able to end most of her fights by swinging first. (This surprised her brother, who loudly hooted and hollered the first time she rushed someone). But despite improving, she still wasn't to grasp a firm hand in actually hurting or subduing Eric. He toyed with her, and she noticed his amusement in her flushed face and quick anger.

**KITTEN.**

_Cal was breathing heavy, her elbow resting on her knees as she ducked her head into her chest. Eric was sitting on across from her on the mat, his breathing was steady in contrast to her own, and only a light sweat coated his forehead. A drop of blood fell, landing on the mat with a soft thump. Cal lifted her head and wiped her hand underneath her nose, sniffing loudly.  
_

_"I'll get you one day."_

_Eric lifted his head, lifting a brow in confusion._

_Cal wiped the blood on her hands over her tank top, pulling a face as she did so, "I'll get you one day."_

_She lifted her hand again, tapping her cheek with her index finger, "Right here, leaving a nice colorful bruise."_

_Eric pauses for a moment before chuckling, "You know what a panther is, Cal?"_

_Her breath catches in her throat the moment he says her name. During her lessons he had referred to her as either initiate or kitten, and hearing her name leave his lips made her heart beat faster. But she acknowledged his words, and racked her brain for an image._

_"Big, scary, black cat?" She's unsure, she didn't always pay attention well enough during classes._

_She flinches when he reaches forward, grasping a few strands of her straight, black hair. He moved it aside, looking at the scar that ran along the back of her jaw and behind her ear._

_"You remind me a lot of a panther, Kitten."_

_She smacks his hand away, indignantly, "Stop calling me that!"_

**CAL VS CAINE  
**

"Come on, Cal," Four motions her to step onto the mat where Caine is already jumping on his feet. She takes a deep breath and steps up, Eric and Four stand side-by-side close by. This is their last fight, their last _ranked_ fight for stage one.

Cal has only lost two fights, the fight against her brother and a fight against Ben. The rest of her fights seemed to get better and better, but Caine was undoubtley strong. He was a good head taller than her, and like almost everyone else, had gained muscle from the day-in and day-out workouts.

_"You're quick, use that to your advantage. Don't run, strike."_

As soon as she's given the okay to begin the fight she does. Caine bounces on his feet while she rushes forward, her hand balled into a fist. She lets out a huff of air when he turns his head, her knuckles graze his cheek.

_"If you miss, continue with the rest of your body. A knee or an elbow helps throw _them_ off before they throw _you_ off."_

Cal twists around, bringing her foot up and back before she slams it roughly into Caine's hip.

_"Knees and hips will throw of balance, stomach and chest will make them loose air, and a kick to the head is sure to knock them out - but you may be a little too short for that, kitten."_

He falls, a strangled cry echoing in the large room. She jumps on her feet lightly, waiting for Caine to make another move. Eric would've scolded her, telling her she should have struck him while he was already down. She knows, because he scolded her on not doing so when they practiced and when he asked. But the reddening of Caine's cheeks and the way his breathing seemed to increase to a tenfold told her that she hadn't just hurt him, she's enraged him.

She doesn't have enough time to react when Caine rushes her, his arms wrapping around her hips as he tackles her to the floor. She gulps for air when she lands, her back screaming and sore.

_"You're small - "_

_"You keep saying that, Eric."_

_"Well am I wrong? Look at how small you are, Kitten."_

_"Call me that again and -"_

_"Like I was saying you're small, so your ground game will be faster than everyone elses. You just have to seize the opportunity."_

_"Seize what opportunity?"_

_"The opportunity to escape and retaliate."_

An angry cry leaves her own lips as she twists and turns, trying to break free of Caine's rough hold. His head is ducked down, with one arm holding her waist and the other swinging maliciously at her ribs.

"Come on, Cal."

Four's voice brings her back from her panic, and as soon as the words of encouragement leave his mouth she hears more from the others. Her brother is talking to her, Tatum is clapping his hands loudly and she can hear Sonny pleading with her to get him off of her.

She fidgtings, squirming against Caine while using her knees to thrash upwards towards his thighs. She breaks an arm free and brings her elbow down on Caine's temple as hard as she can. He immediately falls off of her and onto the mat beside her with a thump. Cal groans herself, her stomach hurts so bad she feels she might vomit. Her eyes drag over to Four and Eric.

Four looks like he's pleased with the fight, at least he was cheering for Cal - right?

Eric on the other hand, has a from on his lips. Cal has never been good with reading people, and honestly Eric was no exception to this. If anything, he was harder to read than anyone she's ever met. Was he upset that she won? Maybe upset she didn't take in all his advice? Did she do something wrong?

Apparently, she did.

The taste of blood fills her mouth as her head snaps to the side, she's out before she feels the second blow Caine aims at her face.

**SHOULD'VE KICKED HIM WHILE HE WAS DOWN.**

"So, I won?"

Four nods his head, giving Cal a half hearted smile, "Despite him knocking you unconscious, you technically did it first. After the hit to the temple he was out for a couple seconds."

Cal breaths, dropping her fork beside her plate, "Thank god."

Four chuckles at her relief.

"I knew you could do it," Syn speaks up with a face full of food, a couple pieces of egg drop from his mouth as he speaks and Tatum makes a noise of disgust while Ben tries to hid his smile behind his cup of juice, "You're _my_ sister after all."

"Seriously?" Tatum motions towards Syn's face, who looks confused at the gesture.

"Well, enjoy your day off," Four stands up, but a hint of a laugh lingers on his face, "Make sure you rest up."

"Why would we rest up on our day off?" Syn asks, he has food all over his chin now.

Cal elbows her brother's side and more eggs fly his lips, this time landing on the muffin Tatum had on his plate.

"Really, you two?!"

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Thank you PenforPerfection for your review!

I do have a question for my readers. I've about 4 more chapters already written but I'd like to know something.

What fears do you think someone like Cal would have? Or what fears would you like to see her have?

I have 6 already, but I would like 3 or 4 more fears for her.

**Thank you for reading!**


	8. Sorry

**WAR GAMES.**

"So this is what you meant by rest up," Syn tries to catch his breath, he was the last on the train, and that was because he had decided to 'party in the Pit' with a few dauntless-born initiates. He barely got any rest before Eric and Four busted into the dormitory to rush everyone onto the train.

Four offers him a nonchalant shrug before lifting up a piece of fabric.

"We'll be dividing into two teams to play capture the flag. Each team will have an even mix of members, Dauntless-born initiates, and transfers. One team will get off first and find a place to hide their flag. Then the second team will get off and do the same. This is a Dauntless tradition, so I suggest you take it seriously."

"Alright," Eric speaks up now, "Everyone take a gun and then Four and I will pick teams."

Cal holds the gun loosely, it's light enough to carry with a single hand and she's thankful for that already. It wasn't like the gun they had fired earlier, a _real_ gun - but this one, it looked real.

Cal jumps when someone collides with the wall of the train harshly, and her eyes follow Caine down as he clutches his chest - a dart lodged in the center.

"_Oops_?"

"Neurostim dart," Eric explains, giving a sheepish looking Syn a pointed look, "Simulates the pain of a real gunshot wound, lasts a couple minutes."

Cal brings up her hand to hide her laughter, and Syn shoots her a crooked grin.

"Two teams," Eric continues," Four and I are Captains."

"Alright," Four nods towards Eric, "You pick first."

Eric raises a brow before scanning the crow initiates, he looks over Cal and holds her stare for a long second before looking at her brother, then back over to her, "Cal."

"Syn."

A few 'oohs' come from the other initiates and Cal can't help but smile a little at this.

"I promise I won't shoot you in your pretty, yet bruised up, face, C," Syn teases, slinging the gun over his shoulder.

"I'll make you eat your words, Syn."

Cal moves to stand beside Eric, listening as him and Four go back and forth picking transfer initiates, and then dauntless-born initiates. After a few moments, Cal finds herself on a team with Ben, Sonny, Caine and three Dauntless-born. She stands in between Eric and Ben, the flag being held in between the fingers of a Dauntless-born girl who goes by the name of Laney.

**CAPTURE THE FLAG.**

"So," Eric begins, looking at the initiates with a raised brow, "What first."

"Split up into two groups," A dauntless born male begins. He was a tan skinned male, with bleached hair and a centered lip ring. He was tall and lanky, but had the defined muscles that all Dauntless members seem to have. He had introduced himself as Z, "Offense and defense, yanno?"

"That's too general,"Another Dauntless-born speaks up. In contrast to his tanned friend his skin is fair, freckles coat themselves on his cheeks like dirt and his eyes are the brightest shade of blue that Cal had ever seen. His brown hair was long, and pulled up to the top of his head in a messy bun. He went by Troy, "Everyone does that, why don't we just rush their flag?"

"We've gotta find out where their flag is first," Cal offers, the idea itself is obvious enough but no one has said it.

"If we go up, we'll get a view of the park."

Everyone turns to look at Ben, who purses his lips together. The silent Erudite transfer hadn't said much of anything since he's been in Dauntless. He's offered plenty of smiles and a few chuckles here and there, but the only time Cal remembers him speaking is when he said his name.

"So he can speak," Caine starts.

Cal cocks the gun back and slides the dart into place, she lifts the gun towards Caine's neck, "Shut _up_, Caine."

Z, Troy and Laney snicker as Caine shuts his mouth closed, looking at Cal a heated look of hatred.

"Okay," She starts, turning her eyes away from Caine, "Who wants to find a place to look up while the rest of us find a place to set the flag."

Laney and Troy offer themselves up and run off to a building close by, leaving the rest of the group to find a place to hide their flag.

"Now," Cal begins, her eyes scanning the the buildings.

"If we put the flag up high it'll be a little harder to find and to reach," Ben's voice is soft and to hear him clearly a silence falls over the initiates, "We can leave a few behind as guards, the rest can go to -"

"It's in a building near the pier! On the roof!"

"Alright," Cal hums.

"There's that swing set," Z offers, nudging Cal with his elbow. She has no idea when she became the go-to man, but suddenly everyone is looking at her.

She nods again, "That's a good idea, tuck it into one of the swings will make it harder for them to climb, but it'll also be difficult to put."

"I can do it," Sonny offers quietly, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, let the skyscraper over here do it," Troy agrees, the nickname causes Sonny's cheeks to redden and Cal rolls her eyes.

"Okay... so now we need two groups."

"Offense and defense?!" Z puffs out his chest pridefully and Cal grins.

**SPLIT UP.**

Cal walks slowly in step with Eric, their arms brush each other as they walk and she can't help but notice just how warm he is.

"Z?"

"Sup?"

Cal looks over her shoulder, pointing to the roof of the building they were going to go to. They had split up evenly: Ben, Sonny, Caine and Laney with the flag and herself, Eric, Z and Troy on the hunt.

"You think you can be the one to get the flag?"

As much as she would like to, Z's height is their advantage.

He smirks, shooting her a wink, "Anythin' for the pretty lady."

Cal rolls her eyes but gasps when an arm shoots out in front of her, stopping her dead in her tracks. She glares up at Eric, who doesn't make eye contact but instead stares ahead of them, squinting his eyes towards the building.

"Split off here."

"What?" Cal asks, knitting her brothers together, "Splitting off into a small group will make it -"

"Harder for them to pick us off."

"Or _easier_," Cal disagrees.

Eric tightens his jaw, shooting his gaze over to Troy and Z, "You two, go around the right side. We'll go around the left."

Cal huffs quietly, nodding to both Z and Troy as they give her sheepish looks - as if apologizing for leaving her with Eric.

"Duck down."

"What?"

Cal has to hold in the yelp that threatens to rise from her throat when Eric drags her down by her collar, practically pulling her under his arm.

"Watch it!" She hisses, trying to smack his hand away from her collar, "I could shoot you, ya know?"

Eric smirks at her, "You wouldn't."

Cal glares, but doesn't disagree. She knows that if she tries to insist she would, he would see through the lie.

"I see your brother," Eric leans in closer to her, grabbing the back of her neck with one hand and pointing in another direction with the other, "He saw the other two."

"You used them as bait."

Cal shakes her head, a part of her feels bad for the two Dauntless-born, but the other is sure that they'll be fine even with the stim-darts being shot at them.

"Let's go."

They stay low, and walk side by side for a moment before Cal decides to take the lead. She's smaller, and can look around corners without bringing too much attention to where she's at.

"Those pants look good on you, kitten."

Cal stops, her cheeks firing up with embarrassment at Eric's comment. She glares over her shoulder, dangling the stim-dart gun in his direction as a silent threat.

The next series of event's happens too quickly for Cal even to recall properly. One moment she's looking at Eric with reddened, embarrassed cheeks and the next she's being hauled up until her toes are barely touching the floor. She wiggles, but the persons grip on her never loosens. She feels the cold, rounded end of the stim gun against her upper arm and she freezes.

"I was hoping I'd be the one to catch you!"

Cal want's to groan at her brothers excited tone, her arms are held down and she knows if she continues to struggle he's just going to shoot. She turns, looking over her shoulder to glance at her twin. His face glistens with sweat, and his cheeks are red from (most likely) running around. Cal turns her head back to Eric, who has his gun aimed up at her brother.

"Sorry, Cal."

Confusion bubbles inside of her, and she's about to ask Eric why he's sorry until pain explodes in her stomach. She gasps, withering and wiggling out of her brothers grip until she drops to the dirt. She groans, her hands blindly searching for the neurostim dart that Eric had shot into her stomach. Cal hears someone else drop and footsteps rush away.

She tilts her head up, her cheek brushing against the dirt.

Eric is cursing loudly, his body tense as he desperately tries to pull the three stim darts out of his body.

"You _shot_ me."

"You were in the way."

Cal rolls off of her side and onto her back, and she can't helped the pained laugh that rises in her throat, "You asshole."

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE**

I rewrote this chapter, because originally I had Cal on Four's team. Also, I'm pretty sure War Games was suppose to be before their final fight but oh well.

I also liked the idea of the neurostim-darts over the paintballs.

Thank you theotheralison, Maya6996, StardustSpike, DauntlessProdigy4Life for your reviews!

And a special thanks to _RiverRunsDeep_, I really appreciated your review and I'm working on some time with new initiates + conflict.

**Thank you for reading!**


	9. Swords

**"LOOK WHO WE HAVE HERE."**

Syn and Cal turn to look over their shoulders, watching as Caine saunters into the tattoo parlor. Cain's previously shaggy auburn hair was bleached silver and shaved at the sides, and a shiny black ring curled over the center of his bottom lip. He had taken his free day and gone all out, celebrating the end of their first stage of initiation.

Cal notices Ben step closer, averting his eyes down to his feet. Her blond friend was still quiet, but was slowly becoming more comfortable within the twins company. He was one of the top students in class, but his reputation of being with the twins immediately put him on Caine's bad side. The blond wasn't one for words, so only endured the verbal abuse when the twins weren't around.

Syn looks over Caine with a blank expression before lifting up a newly pierced brow, "Even with the make-over you still look like shit, Caine."

Cal runs a finger under her nose, trying to pull her lips back down to stop the smile. Ben coughs into his fist and turns his head, hiding his eyes under his blond hair.

Caine sneers at them, crossing his arms over his chest, "Nice to see you copying our instructor with the brow piercing, _Synodic_."

Syn hums, scratching the side of his jaw almost lazily. He looks at Cal and Ben for a moment before shrugging his shoulders heavily, moving his gaze back to Caine. There's a fire in her brothers eyes, but he keeps his face calm and unaffected - a look she knows will infuriate Caine, "You know, that was _such_ a good jab. I think - I think I might have to walk away and recover?"

Caine's jaw tenses and his nostrils flare, but he says nothing. Instead he walks steadily into the room, moving his eyes away from the twins and over to the tattoo samples that scale the walls. Cal rolls her eyes and laughs softly at his anger.

"He tries too hard."

Cal hums in agreement, glancing at Ben for a moment. His hair was shaggy on top, but like Caine he had shaved the side and a silver septum ring hung from his nose. That was as far as her friends body modifications went. Ben runs a hand through his hair and shakes it, moving his eyes over to the tattoo example in front of the trio.

Cal looks at the tattoo that the boys are looking at and purses her lips. She subconsciously runs a hand over the bandage that runs over her forearm.

"Dad's gonna throw a fit when we see him," Syn murmurs, a crooked smile pulling at his lips.

Cal smiles back, fingering the outline of the black sword both Syn and her got tattooed only moments earlier.

**TWIN SWORDS.**

"Look at you two!"

Syn and Cal are both tugged towards their fathers white-clad chest, he holds onto their clothing tightly and inhales deeply. Cal and Syn move to hug their father back, leaving them standing in an tight and awkward embrace.

"You both look so strong," His voice shakes and Syn starts to laugh - trying to steady himself.

"Come on, no tears," Cal pulls away, setting a firm hand on her fathers shoulder. She squeezes his jacket reassuringly, "No tears."

Her father nods his head, running a finger under his nose and blinking his eyes quickly. A smile pulls at his lips, defining the laugh lines on his face and the crinkles by his eyes, "I'm just ... so proud of you two. You've grown so strong in the weeks I haven't seen you. But - But son, what is that _thing_ on your eyebrow? Did you get taller, Syn? And did you finally gain some muscle in that lanky frame of yours, too? And goodness, Caldera, the bruises on your face look like someone painted you blind. Look at - wait what are those?"

The twins had pulled back to show their father the detailed sword on their forearms, Syn's on his left, and Cal's on her right. Their father blinked in confusing, reaching forward to poke at the fresh black ink.

"Do you remember reading that book to us?" Syn starts, "It was one of mom's."

A former Erudite, their mother never lost her interest in reading. Their father often read bits and pieces to them when they asked, but never indulged too much into their curiosity.

Jared blinks, his smile faltering for a moment while he begins to put the pieces together.

**"FEAR CUTS DEEPER THAN SWORDS."**

"It's like having a piece of you and mom with us," Cal's voice is low, almost afraid of being heard.

"Cal and I got the same thing," Syn continues on, running his palm over his arm, "Faction before blood, but we're blood in the same chosen faction."

"Plus," Cal smiles lightly. Her throat feels tight and her eyes burn the longer she stands in her fathers presence, "Syn wanted to get matching tattoo's."

_"You'll be seeing your families today._

Jared lets out a shaky breath, bringing up his hands to rest on each of the twins faces, "You're mother would be _so_ proud of you both."

Syn visibly cringes, while Cal holds in her emotions better. Though, her feelings betray her when her eyes begin to water. She tries to keep her voice steady as she speaks, but it's getting harder with the accumulating tears in her fathers eyes, "Thank you."

_I want you all to remember that you're Dauntless now._

"I'll miss you two," Jared's voice is starting to become softer the longer he stays, the thought of visiting day ending causes his heart to break even further.

The twins struggle to maintain a steady eye contact, both of them choosing to look at anything but their fathers watering eyes. Faction before blood had never seemed so ridiculous to them, but the longer they sat with their father the louder Eric's words rung in their minds. The harder Eric's gaze from the top of The Pit seemed to burn into their skin.

_We Dauntless take faction before blood very seriously."_

"Never forget," Jared whispers, hugging the twins tightly, "You were meant to be here."

* * *

_**REMINDER:**_

LAST 3 CHAPTERS WERE DELETED AND ARE BEING REWRITTEN.

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Yes, I did quote Game of Thrones. But the idea fit the twins, in my opinion.

Tatum and Sonny are still present in the story and will appear later.

Rankings + other stuff + start of fear sim is in the coming chapters.

Thank you for reading!


	10. Enough

**RANK FOUR.**

Cal was ranked fourth in a transfer group of eight.

Syn was ranked first.

Ben was ranked second.

Tatum was ranked fifth.

And Sonny, their Amity transfer friend, was ranked seventh. Second to last, right before Caine's fellow Erudite transfer friend - a girl named Zoe.

Cal released her brothers shirt, the black fabric was held in between her fingers in a fit of nerves while she read the list that Four and Eric presented. But Cal was no longer worried for herself, or even Syn. Their spots in stage 2 of initiation were now set in stone. They were going on with their initiation, but Sonny might not be. Not unless the 10 dauntless-born transfers completely failed at their first stage. Unless that happened, Sonny was going to be leaving Dauntless.

Cal's hair tickled her jawline as she looked around the room.

"Sonny?"

Cal saw her through the small crowd, standing on the opposite side of the room by herself. The lanky redhead was breathing heavily, and her eyes were beginning to water. Her hands shook as she held them in front of her mouth and over her freckled nose, trying to hide the surprised 'o' and threatening cries.

"Sonny."

Someone grabs her wrist before she can reach the shaking girl, and Sonny's eyes seemed too engrossed on the leader-board to notice her friends haste and halt. She doesn't have to guess who grabbed her after he begins to speak, his voice high pitched and mocking.

**"SHE WAS TOO WEAK TO SURVIVE IN THIS FACTION."**

She doesn't think, Cal let's her anger control her next action.

She remembers what Eric taught her, when someone grabs your wrist. One option would be to break his arm, but that was a couple more steps than she was willing to take. So, Cal settled for turning her body - Caine's hold making her wrist turn red with agitation - and used her opposite hand to uppercut. Hitting him right on the underside of his chin.

This caused a _horrible_ domino effect.

Steven, Caine's closest "companion", came running to his defense and roughly shoved Cal backward, causing her to stumble and nearly fall. Ben and Syn stomped forward, grasping Steven before he could continue any further with his assault. Tatum tries to calm the two, pleading with Syn to calm down and begging Ben to help him stop the angry twin. Cal could feel her chest ache where Steven had pushed her, but she had little time to rub her wounds before Caine was after her in a flurry of anger. His lower jaw dribbled with saliva and blood, and he bared his teeth like the dog from the simulation.

**RABID. WILD. ANGER.**

Cal gasped when Caine grabbed her by her shirt, lifting her off of the ground until the toes of her dirty boots barely scraped the floor. She sucked in a gulp of air when her back smacked against the wall - her head following with a less painful (but _still_ painful) thump.

Caine still held onto her shirt with white-knuckled fists and Cal clawed at his exposed wrists, doing anything she could to get his hands off of her. She lifted her feet, swinging and kicking them against his hips and thighs. He grunted and twitched in pain at her bucking but he didn't budge. Instead, Caine maneuvered himself so he could swing his elbow at her face - cutting into her skin and forming a large gash through her eyebrow.

**"ENOUGH."**

But Eric's order was ignored, and no one stopped fighting.

Syn against Steven, with Ben and Tatum trying to pull the two apart. Steven swung blindly while Syn - although lanky and lean - landed hard and heavy punches when he could.

Caine held Cal. She kicked and squirmed, but her vision was turning red the more the open wound dripped down her face. Her throat tightened with fear but she kept her teeth bared and her nails sharp as they dug into the skin on Caine's wrist. His forearm moved to her neck, pushing against her throat.

Zoe was sobbing in the background, asking Caine to stop and telling Steven to stop him.

Sonny ran, but no one noticed.

Caine's forearm was only on Cal's neck for a couple of moments before he was roughly yanked off of her. She fell to the floor, coughing and trying to fill her lungs with air again. Caine was groaning at her feet, Eric's foot pressed tightly down on his chest. His cheeks had a slightly flush to them from his growing irritation.

Behind him the fighting had stopped, Four stood between the boys with disheveled hair and a scowl. Next to him, Syn sported a bloody lip and Ben's cheek was pink - turning purple.

"When I say enough," Eric's voice was low, and his lip curled over his teeth in a way that made the hairs on the back of Cal's neck stand with fear. He looked around the room, eying everyone before finishing his sentence while looking at Cal, "I mean _enough_."

He removed his foot from Caine's chest, causing the male to turn on his side while wheezing. Cal flinched as he strode towards her, yanking her up by her torn shirt and dragging her out of the room without another word. She followed as best she could, tripping and spluttering in pain. She continued to stumble, the blood in her eye didn't lessen when she tried to wipe it away - it only seemed to make her vision worse.

She reached for him, gripping onto his wrist with the hand not bloodied from her brow.

Eric refused to look at her, pulling her away from the room and towards a destination she wasn't aware of. He removed his hand from her shirt and, instead, tugged at her wrist.

She yelped when her foot slipped while they passed the chasm, the water on the rocks making her footing even worse than what it already was.

Cal shut her eyes tightly, her fingers curled around Eric's wrist more firmly.

"I really don't like the idea of babysitting, kitten."

His grip on her waist was tight, and his voice was laced with a settling annoyance.

Cal's heart hammered against her chest and she smacked her lips together. As thankful as she was for him saving her from a hellish beating, the nickname bothered her again. Coming from Eric, hearing babysit and kitten made her feel like a lesser.

Cal belonged in Dauntless, she wasn't a fragile little kitten. She refused to be.

"You could've just let me fall, or just let Caine beat me to a pulp. Wouldn't have to babysit me then, _Eric_."

When she opened her eyes Eric's face was clouded with a similar anger she had seen in the room just moments ago. Again, he refused to meet her gaze as he lead her forward - but his arm never left her waist, and he continued to help keep her steady until the two were at the Dauntless infirmary.

"What a stupid thing to say."

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Fights! Cal's temper is short, maybe not as short as Syn's but it's still a pretty short fuse.

Cal isn't good with words, either. She doesn't necessarily _think_ before she _does_ / _says_.

Thank you RiverRunsDeep for the review!

Thank you for reading!


	11. Scars and Scares

**SCAR.**

"Really?"

Cal sighed, looking at the Dauntless medic in front of her. He was lean, and held a sort of permanent scowl. His hair was short and shaggy,and dyed a dark blue. His arms were full of dark, intricate tattoos that ended when they reached his shoulders and had more separate tattoo's on his neck. Cal thought he seemed a little young to be a medic, but she still had yet to see anyone old in Dauntless. He was the only one in the infirmary - which came to a quiet shock to Cal.

"Yep."

Mick, who also went by Mickey, popped the 'p' in his reply. His gloved hands still working on stitching the wound in her eyebrow. His brows were knitted together and his frowned deepened as he wiped away the blood. Caine had bruised her neck fairly well, but the cut on her eyebrow was now going to be a permanent reminder that he got the upper hand on her.

Eric stood behind Mickey, scrutinizing his stitch work with furrowed brows. Mickey, unlike a lot of Dauntless members who seemed to fidget and squirm under Eric's gaze, remained impassive. He worked unbothered, even when Eric leaned in to examine the closed wound. Mickey barely spared the young Dauntless leader a glance.

"Maybe I could turn it into a cool story to scar initiates next year," Cal mumbled, her tone was light but held an undertone of annoyance.

Mickey snorted at this, pulling away from Cal and pulling off his latex gloves with a snap. He threw the gloves into a near by trash and clasped his hands together on his lap.

"You're all set. I would say no fighting until I take the stitches out but," Mickey pauses, dragging his cloudy gray eyes over towards Eric, "You won't need them in stage two of initiation."

Cal looked between the men: Mickey, who's face was still impassive and Eric's, who's face now held a dark glint.

**STAGE TWO**.

"This isn't what I was expecting for stage two," Cal breaths out shakily, looking around the room. Four side eyes her, filling up the syringe while she moves her hair out of the way with shaky hands. He looks at the scar behind her ear for a moment, and Cal averts her gaze - resisting the urge to flinch when the needle pricked her skin.

"You'll start feeling the effects within the next thirty seconds," Four begins, giving Cal a firm nod, "Be brave, Cal."

She wants to ask what she'll see, wants to ask more questions like the Candor she was. But the next time she blinks she finds herself out of the testing room she was previously in.

**COLD.**

The cold bit at her skin, clinging to her bare arms.

If she could have known, she would have worn a long sleeve instead of this loose fit tank top. Cal shook, her hands balled into fists at her sides as she tried not to look down. A soft whine left her throat and she tightens her jaw so she wouldn't let out another cry.

She knows what building she's standing on the across from, and the thought of said building is almost as bad as the thought of how high up she was. Cal grimaced, baring her teeth and tightening her jaw when a cold and harsh breeze. She sways, and hisses underneath her breath as she steadies herself once more.

"You can do this."

Her voice came out barely above a whisper.

"You can do this."

Cal bends down, grasping the cement corner of the building. She takes a deep breath, the cold air pushing against her. Cal grips the cement until her knuckles turn white and she can feel her fingertips begin to callous. Cal crawls, her black pants rip along the knees as she slides along the thin, broken edge and towards the open window of the Merciless Mart. It feels like forever before she shakily grabs the edge of the building and forces herself inside. She lands with a thud against the floor, her hair sprawling messily all over her face.

**HEIGHTS**.

Cal sucks in air to her lungs, not realizing she was holding her breath until after she lies against the floor. Her hands rest against the floor - which is not the floor of the Merciless Mart she remembers. Instead of the black and white tiled floor she use to walk across, the floor was pitch black, sticky and wet. The stickiness underneath her fingers makes her cringe.

Cal stands up slowly, she wipes her hands on her pants and looks around the darkened room.

There were no doors, and the entrance in which she stumbled in from was now gone.

"Do you know what scares you?"

Cal jumps at the voice, her body tenses and she balls her hands into fists. She can't pinpoint the voice, but he sounds so familiar to her.

"Caldera."

The voice echoes, but she still can't see anyone in the dimly lit room.

**"ANSWER ME!"**

Cal flinches at the resounding yell and brings her arms up to hug herself, as she silently wills herself to stop shaking with fear.

"Do you know what scares you, Caldera?"

The voice is becoming clearer now, and Cal squeezes herself tighter - her nails digging into her skin. She tries to open her mouth but not even a whimper makes it way past her lips. She wants to run, hide, _move_ \- but her body remains frozen in place and only her hands can manage to grip onto herself tighter. She shivers, the temperature in the room dropping to a temperature that was much colder than the air outside.

"That's right, Caldera."

Her full name, and the way it's said, makes her want to bark out a nasty remark but she bites her tongue. Her jaw clenches tight and her eyes follow the two figures as they move further into the room, centering themselves under the only lighting available.

Syn's eyes shined the lightest of blues when he cried, and they seemed almost pale even under the poor lighting. Her brothers face is dirty, and tear tracks run down his cheeks and neck. His hands are tied together in front of him and he never moves his eyes away from her.

She recognizes the man behind her brother, a man she never found herself truly afraid of until this very moment. She was never scared of _him_, but the power he had to kick her or her brother out of Dauntless was something she knew she feared in the back of her mind.

Cal eyes what rests in Eric's hand - and against Syn's temple - and she tries to find her voice. Tell him to put the gun down, or take her instead. She tries to yell at Eric, plead with him with her eyes since her voice doesn't work.

She's not ready to be alone.

She can't be alone.

She can't face the world without her brother in it.

But she can't move.

She can't move.

_She can't move._

**HELPLESSNESS**.

Waking up from the fear simulation was a lot like trying to catch her breath after being held in Caine's choke-hold.

Her body is flushed and warm, but she shakes as if she's been thrown into an ice bath. Her hand dives to her heart, squeezing at the dampened fabric of her tank top.

"You alright?"

Four's voice sounds distant to her ears but Cal nods her head to assure her instructor that she's fine. She runs a hand through her hair and hunches over in the chair, trying to calm her breathing and rapid heart beat.

"_Shit_."

Four lets out a soft snort as he begins organizing the testing machine once more, "You did pretty well for your first time in the test, got over heights pretty fast."

"Well when you see the Merciless Mart every day and have to jump off a building to get to this compound then I'm sure getting through heights makes it a little easier," Cal sits up, "I still hate heights."

"You'll be back again tomorrow," Four nods as Cal stands, "You did good, but be ready to go against some more of your fears."

Cal frowns, and can't bite back the question that rung in her mind, "How... How many fears does a person usually have?"

"Eleven or twelve," Four shrugs, "Give or take."

Cal frowns, "Oh."

Four gives her a forced smile. It doesn't meet his eyes, and he looks too tired to put real effort into a genuine smile. But his voice remains light and friendly as she starts to walk out of the room, "Everyone's afraid of something."

Cal nods, slowly walking out of the room. Quietly repeating his words, "Everyone's afraid of something."

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Okay, but have any of my readers seen the Suicide Squad photos? I'm _very_ excited.

I love the comics, so I'd love to see how Jai Courtney portrays Captain Boomerang b/c he is a fantastic actor.

Anyways! Changing the fears around a bit, and more Eric to come next chapter!

Thank you KyeRic, Renzin, BK2U for the reviews!

**Thank you for reading!**


	12. Trembling

**DON'T LOOK.**

Cal doesn't know what to think. She's afraid to open her eyes because she knows that the scene hasn't changed from when she closed them just a moment ago. Her teeth dig into her bottom lip when something touches her forehead. Cold, round, steel.

"Open up, C."

She keeps her eyes closed, but her mouth pulls back into a angry grimace and she can feel tears well in her eyes. Her heart is pounding so roughly against her chest that she's sure Syn can hear it.

"Open your eyes!"

His voice shakes her to the core, rattling her bones and making her teeth chatter. Cal opens her eyes slowly, everything in front of her unclear through the blur of her tears.

Betrayal is such a lonely and empty feeling, but it's not the act itself that leaves her shaking in her skin. It's the act of _who_ is doing it.

Syn, clad in Dauntless black from head to tow, holding the steely, silver gun against her forehead.

Syn, her brother, gripping the gun in his hand and looking at her as if she were the scum of the earth.

"Stop it."

He grins at her, and it's a smile so familiar to her that she feels herself breaking. His smile was always so bright, the light she found in the dark. Her twin brother, her other half. The only one who could possibly break her with the act of betrayal. Her shoulders are weighed down with dread.

She loves her brother, she does - but she won't let him kill her.

She won't have her blood on his hands.

Cal lets out a cry and grabs the length of the gun and moves it to one side, while moving her head in the opposite direction. A shot fires and she dives towards her brother, wrapping her arms around his torso like a last embrace.

**BETRAYAL.  
**

Cal falls with an _oomf_, her chest and palms scraping the floor roughly. She hisses, rolling onto the side and letting out a soft groan of pain. It takes her a moment before she slowly lifts herself up from the floor, rubbing her scraped palms together.

It doesn't take her long after that to hear the soft pitter-patter of feet, and squeak and sniff of their noses and grinding teeth. She twirls, looking around her for a source of the noises. She can't see them, but they echo around her.

She doesn't wait for them to sneak up on her, and instead, takes off running against the pitch blackness that surrounds her. She cries out when she feels them claw and climb her pants. Cal slaps her calves, a few of them biting at her hands as she continues to run through the dark hallways. She runs faster, stumbling a few times when they begin to pile themselves in front of her.

She doesn't stop running even when they squeal and cry under her boot.

**RATS.**

Cal slaps her hands on the door as it comes into view, entering the room and slamming it shut. She pushes against the door with her palms, her forehead resting against the wood as she tries to catch her breath.

"Cal."

Her body goes cold, ice runs through her veins as fear spreads throughout her body in waves. Her name bubbles from his lips as he chokes and splutters, and Cal finds herself frozen. She's too afraid to turn around.

"Cal."

"No," she breaths, her hands balling into fists as they rest against the door, "_No_."

Something thumps behind her and Caldera has to force herself to peer over her shoulder.

"Come on, Kitten."

Cal closes her eyes again, the image of Eric a bleeding mess behind her makes her want to vomit. She takes in shaky breaths, breathing in through her nose and breathing out with her mouth. Her knuckles are white and when she opens her eyes again, the face behind her changes.

Cal holds in a whine as Ben stares up at her, his face bruised, and beaten. His pale blond hair is caked and coated with blood - the blond strands nearly hidden under the sea of crimson.

"Please."

Cal groans, and the next time she blinks she wants to scream.

"Do it, C."

Syn looks on the verge of death, his eyes are void of the light that usually brightens her day and his cheeks are sunken in and purple.

"You gotta do it."

His voice is softer, and he tilts his head to the side. She follows his line of vision, her knees starting to shake as her fingers circle around the gun. Her vision blurs from her tears, and she can barely make out who's kneeling in front of her until she hears the whisper of her most hated nickname.

"See you later, kitten."

**_B A N G_**

**KILLING A FRIEND.**

Cal sat for a long time in the training room after facing her fears for the second time. Four praised her for her work, but his eyes flickered with worry at her placid and stoic reaction after waking up. She had woken up from the simulation with a start, but had not said a word to Four afterward - only given him a few stiff nods and a forced smile.

Her brother was no where to be found after his testing with Four, and Ben had left her to her own devices and had gone with Tatum to go eat dinner.

Cal didn't want to do anything else except sit on the mat in the middle of the oversized room.

So she sat. Cross legged and staring at her trembling hands.

She didn't know how long she sat in silence for, but eventually _he_ came walking in. She didn't hear him until he stepped beside her, his black boots resting right next to her thigh.

"It's late."

She nods in response, dragging her eyes away from his shoes and back to her hands. She holds them tightly against each other, a weak attempt to get them to stop shaking.

She snaps her attention away from herself when Eric crouches down, resting on his haunches to look at her. He looks at her with a mix between mild annoyance and confusion. He looks over her face, her shoulders, and then down to her hands. He's studying her.

He doesn't need to say it, she knows that he's aware of her trembling hands.

Cal turns to look away, her throat tightens and her eyes begin to tear up, "It's cruel."

Eric stays silent.

"It's cruel to have us all go up against our fears when we emerge from simulations like ghosts of ourselves," Cal's voice shakes but her anger is clear.

"You're Dauntless, there's no room for -"

"I know!" Cal interrupts Eric with a snap, her voice lashing out at him as she whips her head in his direction. Tears accumulate in her eyes but she doesn't let them fall, "I can do it. I _can_. I will be Dauntless, Syn will be Dauntless and Ben and -"

Cal stops, letting out a cry of frustration.

"Crying won't get you anywhere."

"Piss off, Eric," Cal growls, causing the Dauntless leader to smirk and Cal's anger to grow. She brings her hand and shoves him, causing him to slip from his haunches and onto his rear. Cal snorts at his ungraceful landing but doesn't have much time left for amusement when he roughly grabs onto her and yanks her down to the floor, pinning her hands above her head and sitting on her stomach to hold her down.

Cal lets out a soft gasp of surprise before she curses up at the young leader, attempting to twist out of his grasp.

"You piss me off."

"I could say the same," Cal huffs.

She tenses up when he leans in closely to her, his nose nearly touching hers and his own lips centimeters from her own. The heat from his body pulsated off of him in waves, a light, nervous, sweat accumulating on her forehead. She gulps, her eyes darting all around his face.

He seems amused at her flustered state, and Cal turns her head away from him. Eric leans in again, his lips ghosting the shell of her ear.

"You should _really_ learn when to shut up."

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Tris' fears have a lot to do with lack of control, while Cal's fears have a lot to do with loneliness.

So, that's 5 fears so far. 5 down, 5 to go.

Also, still freaking out over Jai and Suicide Squad, tbh.

**Thank you for reading!**


	13. Relax

"What are you doing here?"

Cal stepped into the training room, ready to speak with Four about her fears for a third time and have him watch her wither and cry in the chair. But, when she was called in and escorted into the room, she wasn't met with Four's plain gaze. Instead, she's met with Eric's.

"He's busy."

"With what?"

"Your brother."

A shock runs through her bones and Cal freezes. She knew Syn was having problems with the second stage, and was close to being bumped down to second - below Ben - but she hadn't realized her brother was struggling this much with his fears. To need private help?

"You're the last one for today," Eric pats the seat, his face nonchalant as he does, "So hurry up."

Four, in the past two days working with him, had been patient with her. Though the man was still callous and rough around the edges, he wasn't a sharp knife cutting through time. And again, Cal is reminded of the two different kinds of Dauntless she sees in her leaders.

Cal rubs her arms.

This time she dresses a little bit more ready for her landscape - though she's sure that her clothes won't matter. The tight long sleeve, pants and ankle boots are just a different kind of reassurance to her. Her hand traces over her stitches on her brow, dabbing away the light sweat that's already begun to accumulate.

"We're gonna do things a bit," Eric pauses, shrugging his shoulders, "_Differently_."

Cal frowns, "What do you mean by that."

"I'm curious, Kitten," Eric leans against the seat as Cal sits, "What makes you tick."

"You're going to see that."

Her words spill through gritted teeth, and she clenches her hands into fists at her side. Her heart hammers against her chest, and she refuses to even admit to herself that she's afraid of letting Eric see what she's afraid of.

"True," Eric continues on, if he notices her tone - he ignores it. Instead, he places electrodes on his forehead, and then on hers, "But in Four's little report on you and Synodic, he says you and your brother are having trouble getting out of your landscape. Though, you, unlike Syn, manage to get out. Looks like you and your other half are struggling with stage two, kitten."

**STRUGGLING**_._

Cal's lip curls and she turns her head away, "We're _fine_."

Eric pauses what he was doing to look at Cal, his voice low as he speaks, "And that's why the two of you are failing? You really think Caine won't try to push you and your brother out of here the second he realizes you two are falling behind in stage two? Only reason I'm here and Four is with your brother is because Dauntless sees a lot of potential in you two."

Cal's heart thumps into her throat, her body shivering with a cold chill of fear.

Dauntless - most likely Dauntless leaders - see potential, but if that potential vanishes then no one will hesitate to drop the twins. There's no room for cowardice in Dauntless.

"So," Eric smacks his lips together, picking up the large syringe and looking at her with his pierced brow lifted, "You ready?"

He doesn't wait for her to answer. Instead, Eric moves Cal's curtain of hair away and sticks the needle into the side of her neck.

She flinches, the rush of the serum flushing through her.

Eric injects himself, and leans back into the chair that Cal barely notices before she slips into darkness.

**DARKNESS**.

"Eric?"

Cal stretches her arms out, trying to feel for anything around her.

She can't see anything.

There's no dim light to lead her anywhere, and there are no sounds echoing in her ears. She reaches for anything - a wall, a door, _anything_. But there's _nothing_.

"Eric?"

The silence startles her, and her own panicked breaths are the only thing that reach her ears.

"Relax."

Cal whips around, trying to locate the sound of his voice. She strains her eyes against the darkness but no matter how hard she tries she can't see a thing. Her breathing is still heavy, and she pants as she replies, "I am calm."

He scoffs, "_Right_."

Cal takes shaky steps forward, her arms still outstretched in front of her, "Where - where are you?"

He doesn't reply again, but Cal can hear his soft breathing now and she makes her way towards him slowly. She wants to cry in relief when her hands grasps onto his jacket, and she grips the leather so tightly she's sure it will rip through her fingers. She closes her eyes, trying to steady her breathing and ignore the pitch black hole that surrounds her. She feels Eric grab at her palm, his warm and calloused hands plucking her fingers away from his jacket. His attempt to get her to let go doesn't work, and she only latches on to his wrist. Afraid that he'll disappear into the darkness with everything else.

"Relax."

She resits the urge to yell at him. How can she possibly be relaxed when she can't see anything? When she's surrounded by nothing but the dark?

But instead of yelling, Cal exhales long breathes through her mouth. She still holds a tight grip on Eric's wrist, the warmth of him being her only comfort in the oblivion she stands in.

**ABSOLUTE DARKNESS**.

When Cal opens her eyes, she no longer stands in an unseeable darkness. Cal's mouth parts, her eyes darting around to look at her surroundings.

She remembered what Ben had murmured before bed the other night, the further you get into your fear landscape then then deeper your fears go. The more fears she faces, the more that surface until there's only one left. Until there is only one hiding behind everything she's ever faced.

And Cal isn't even there yet.

She takes a step forward, looking around the room with a look of horror.

Eric, only a step behind, watches her face change. It's almost fascination how in the face of sheer terror she tries to hold back her emotions, tries to hide and lie about how she's feeling. Her eyes are good at hiding what she's feeling, they shine with neither fear nor courage - but with a dark placidity. But, Cal's lips are what give her away. Usually puckered or pulled back into a forced line, her lips are parted and shaped into a grimace.

Eric knows the colors from memory but has never seen the room he currently stands in. Mostly white furniture with the hints of sleek black here and there. Few windows, and bright lights - he knows he stands in a Candor office.

"Cal."

He says her name first, her stunned silence throwing him off. There doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary about the office, but Caldera walks so slowly and cautiously around that it confuses him.

Cal shakes her head, not trusting in her voice. She doesn't even realize she's let go of Eric's wrist and is now holding onto his hand tightly.

Eric watches her with furrowed brows when she stops in front of a black desk. Sitting on desk is a small vile full of liquid.

The door clicks and Cal snaps her head up as three figures step into line. Two men she doesn't know dressed in white and black Candor security stood on both sides of Jack Kang.

"It's always a sad sight to see you in my office, Caldera," Kang begins, adjusting his jacket.

Cal's face twists for a moment, and Eric only watches her quietly as she straightens it out. Her lips fall from a pained grimace and into a thin line, her shoulders square but don't stiffen, and her eyes relax even under the Candor leaders gaze.

"What did you do this time?" Kang sighs, taking a seat, "Punch another boy? Ditch your classes again?"

"Nothing."

Cal feels the fear threaten to shake her to the core, she knows she's lying even if she isn't aware of what she's done wrong. The only time she was ever in Kang's office was when she was caught doing something wrong. And everytime, she was met with a horrible punishment.

"Now, Caldera," Kang sighs as he stands, "You know we don't tolerate any lies in this faction, and I there is a reason you're in my office."

"I didn't do anything," Cal's voice is firm.

She watches as Jack Kang grabs the vile, sticking it into the the gun. Her eyes dart for the door but her arms are seized by the two men that were previously at Kang's side.

"Relax."

Cal stiffens in his hold, trying to control and level her breathing so Kang can't see her fear.

**_"RELAX."_**

The man to her right is no longer the Candor man but Eric, his mouth rests by her ear but his eyes don't met hers. His face, always so placid even in the face of her fears. Cal flinches when the needle punctures her neck.

"May the truth set you free."

Cal's body falters, a rush of defeat flooding through her veins.

"Now, Caldera," Kang steps forward, standing directly in front of her, "What are you so afraid of?"

Her body burns as she can feel her muscles and joints tense as she resists, she stutters out a no and both Jack and Eric speak at the same time. Eric repeating for her to relax and Kang telling her not to resist the truth.

Cal squeezes her eyes shut, her body aches and weighs her down and she wants to bite into her tongue so she doesn't speak. Eric continues to tell her to relax, and she tries but her body shakes as she continues to resist the serum. She can only last so long.

**"HONESTY."**

"Thank you for your honesty."

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE**

I know in the book that resisting the truth serum wasn't painful, but I did like that aspect about it in the movie.

**Thank you for reading!**


	14. Afraid

"You're both tired."

Cal's head snaps up, her eyes lidded as she tries to will herself to not let them fall. Her brother, who sat quietly by her side, almost let his head slip into the food on his plate. It was obvious they were both falling asleep at the table, and Ben's brows were knitted in the center of his forehead whilst his eyes were filled with obvious worry.

Syn gave his friend a sheepish smile, throwing a long arm over Cal's shoulders and lightly shaking her back and forth, "We're fine, Ben. Aren't we, C?"

Cal lifts up her hand, giving Ben a smile and thumbs up.

The three jump when someone slams themselves down at their table.

"You guys look like shit."

The twins drag their gaze over to Caine as he settles himself at their table. He bites into his food, a smug look crossing his face as he slowly chews.

"Is there something you want?" Syn doesn't hide the distaste lacing his tone, "There's an open table on the opposite side of the room - where you're probably still not wanted - but at least it's away from me."

Caine ignores this, his smug smirk never falling from his lips as he looks between the twins. He looks at Syn, the twin who's shoulders are always squared and hands always balled into fists sits. Caine then slides his gaze over to Cal, the fragile looking twin. He's found her interesting from the start. She wasn't the biggest of girls but she had one of the meanest elbows he's had the horrible fate of meeting. She was like crypt he couldn't decipher and it bothered Caine that he couldn't.

They _both_ bothered Caine, more than anyone he's ever met. They both had faction and blood, they had each other in their faction of choice and not only that but they were meant to be in Dauntless _together_. The idea of the twins, who both cared about each other and protected each other with such ferocity that it disgusted him. He wanted to break them, separate them, and watch as they withered and failed without their other half.

**FAIL.**

"How's stage two going for you?" Caine asks, looking between the twins, "You two take your sweet time against your fears, you having problems?"

Syn visibly stiffens, but Cal doesn't flinch at his tone.

"Why are you so concerned with how we are?" She sets her elbows on the table and leans forward, "Why don't you worry about your own fears, unless, sitting here with us is you attempting to face one."

Caine twitches, and Cal smiles. It seems genuine, the tug of her lips and the tilt of her head make her smile seem almost innocent.

"You afraid of us, Caine?" She asks, "Are Syn and I the bump in the night, the tick under your - "

Caine's hands slam against the table, rattling the plates and food that sit on top, "You know what -"

"Cal, Syn, with us."

The twins turned their heads simultaneously.

"Eric."

**TWO DAYS.**

Cal had avoided Eric for two days after he entered her fears.

For two days she ducked under him, turned down a different hallway, and made sure she went to sleep when the room was full of other people. She was ashamed of her fears, ashamed she had let a Dauntless leader see them.

Afraid _Eric_ had seen them.

**AFRAID.**

**ASHAMED.**

"Four?"

Confused, Syn glanced between the two Dauntless leaders. His shoulders squared and he leaned his body towards his sisters.

"Something wrong?"

"No," Eric spoke up.

Four stayed silent, but Cal noticed the difference in him. Although she couldn't read eyes, and read people's emotions well - she could read body language. Something Candor had made sure to instill into her mind. It was how she knew to relax herself when telling a lie.

Four was tense, his shoulders up in a similar manner to her brothers. His eyes dart between her brother and Eric, and she can see that both of the males are nervous.

"Follow me."

She wanted to protest, to ask more questions, but all she does is quietly spare a glance at Ben and then stand alongside her brother. They followed quietly behind Four and Eric, and Cal had a frown on her lips the entire way - up until the moment they stopped in front of a dark stone door.

Four turned to face them but Eric kept his back to the two.

"This is the final testing area, Max and a few other Dauntless leaders are inside."

Four's voice was tight, his hands were pushed against his side and his terse state only caused Cal to stiffen with nerves.

"You two will be taking the final test early," Four explains, "There's been a... _complication_ with Dauntless leadership. Max wants one of you to fill the empty spot."

Eric decides as he opens the door that it'll be a good time to speak, "Time to see what you're both afraid of."

**WHAT YOU'RE AFRAID OF.**

**AFRAID OF.**

**AFRAID OF.**

**WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?**

_"What are you afraid of?"_

_Cal tilts her head back, her eyes looking up at the stone ceiling as she contemplates her answer. She sits between Syn and Ben, their feet dangling off of a random ledge in the Pit. _

_"Everything and nothing."_

_Syn speaks up, "I'm not afraid of anything."_

_Cal rolls her eyes, but Ben speaks up before she could reply to her brother. His voice is quiet but a small smirk tugs at his lips as he speaks, his eyes trained down to look at his hands, "That's why you take the longest with Four?"_

_Syn snaps his head over to Ben, a boyish grin forming on his lips, "Well, looks like Ben finally grew a pair."_

_Cal shoves her brother, a soft smile on her lips, "Don't be so mean."_

_Syn smiles, turning his head back to look at the floor of the pit. He's silent for a minute before he speaks up again, "Really, Cal. What do you see? Ben said he had 9 fears, I have 11. You haven't said how many you had."_

_Cal shifts, moving her hands behind her and leaning back, she kicks her legs back and forth as she counts in her head._

_One. Heights._

_Two. Helplessness._

_Three. Betrayal._

_Four. Rats._

_Five. Killing a friend._

_Six. Absolute darkness._

_Seven. Honesty._

_Eight. Drowning._

_Nine. Being tortured._

_And -_

**"TEN."**

It's dark, damp, and cold. Cal's body aches and it feels as though she's carrying a thousand pounds on her shoulders. She still bleeds from the torture she had endured, her body shakes from both the cold and her fear. She knows this is it, her final fear.

Her body drags as she tries to keep herself sitting up. But she feels weighted down by the sweat and blood that cakes her skin, hair and clothes.

She climbed despite her fear of heights.

She fought against her helplessness.

She stopped Syn from his betrayal.

She ran from the rats.

She pulled the trigger against her suffering friends temple.

She felt her way past the dark.

She told the truth.

She kicked and bucked against the weights holding her underwater.

She endured and broke through her torture.

Now, Cal was left to face her last fear.

"It's been a long road, huh, C?"

She can hear blood, water, and sweat fall to the stone floor. Pooling in front of her and around her feet.

"We've fought long and hard, haven't we?"

Syn's voice soothes her, and she focuses on the tone of his voice rather than her heartbeat. She can't bring herself to respond, but she can feel her eyes water and her throat burn with the intense need to cry. Cold steel touches her temple, and she chokes on a sob.

Saliva and blood fly from her lips, caking her chin and jaw.

The steel against her temple shakes and she can see Syn through her tears. He has tears of his own running down his face, his body shakes as he holds the gun against her skin.

Unlike betrayal, this fear isn't the act of Syn killing her. Within this fear, Syn's intentions aren't formed from malice or ill feelings. He shakes with a fear she's never seen before, and his voice shakes with a sadness she never knew he was capable of.

**DEATH**.

Was it cold? Warm? Empty? Suffocating?

Cal imagined death to be everything and nothing, but above all she imagined it to the scariest thing she's ever imagined. There was no way to beat or cheat death, when it was your time it was your time. Cal knew it was irrational to be afraid of something you could never avoid, weather she died young or old - quickly or painfully... It _terrified_ her.

She tried to imagine death personified, but it was too lonely to be a person or a thing. Death was an empty hole in her heart and she was so terrified because a life after death meant a life with her brother.

Her brother didn't say anything else, but she heard him click the bullet into place and pull the trigger soon after.

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE**

I know it has been forever since I updated and the rush in the twins taking their test might seem weird but this is actually important and will be explained.

I just came back from a trip, I was in Mexico so it might take me a bit to keep on writing!

In the next chapter or in the next few chapters there will be a point of view from Syn, though. So, there's that to look forward too.

**Thank you for reading!**


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